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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

2012

I have to thank the long time Sime~Gen fan known as Kaires for sifting the text of this novel for errors and painstakingly researching current jargon. Karen MacLeod likewise did detail work, but all the remaining errors are mine. And I want to mention that my sometime collaborator, Jean Lorrah has, together with Lois Wickstrom, won a Gold Remi in the family screenplay category at the 2012 WorldFest. Find out about WorldFest at www.worldfest.org

2003

I want to acknowledge a variety of help with this novel. Jean Lorrah—professor of English, and sometime co-author of my Sime~Gen books as well as creator of the Savage Empire universe—in her review of my first novel, the Sime~Gen novel House of Zeor, called one of my protagonists a “vampire in muddy boots”—which is true. The primary archetype behind the Sime~Gen concept is the vampire archetype. After seven Sime~Gen novels, I decided I was ready to try the real thing because it finally struck me that Jean and I both love “Star Trek” for how it uses one minor component of the vampire archetype—dangerous relationships—with love rather than “evil” and “horror.”

About the same time I was writing Those of My Blood, Jean Lorrah was writing her vampire novel, Blood Will Tell, which was first published as an e-book and won an award. Now it is out from Wildside in paper and e-book. These two vampire novels appeal to the same readers who love Sime~Gen, which has now been published by Borgo Press). Watch for new editions of Jean’s Savage Empire novels, as well as my own Dreamspy from Wildside and Molt Brother and City of a Million Legends easily available on http://amazon.com—all in paper, e-book, and audiobook.

Diana Stuart, the romance writer who often deals in fantasy elements such as werewolves, gave me vital technical tips as did Jane Toombs, who works in romantic historicals as well as historical romances.

Claire Gabriel, a consummate professional in the general fiction field who has come to sf/f through “Star Trek,” returned after a ten-year absence to let a later draft of this manuscript keep her up till two a.m.—repeatedly. Since she has a deep aversion to vampire novels but loved this one, and didn’t get nightmares, I’m most especially pleased.

Judy Segal, science teacher, literary agent, and dear friend, who does not believe in nor enjoy stories about vampires, read and enjoyed a very early draft of this one.

Anne Pinzow, a professional video producer and sometime slush pile reader for publishers and agents, made time to read and comment on a later draft, as did Roberta Klein-Mendelson whose professionalism lies in stagecraft, but who is also writing a vampire novel. Katie Filipowicz Steinhoff who has been deeply involved in Sime~Gen fanzine production, and has proofed many a manuscript for me, made time to go over this one while running her school library.

Marjorie Robbins, who has served Sime~Gen fandom and www.simegen.com valiantly in many capacities including as head of the Sime~Gen Welcommittee, has worked hard to reduce the workload of mail I handle so I’d have time to write this novel. Through the Sime~Gen fanzines she published Householding Chanel Inquirer and First Transfer (which are now available online), and she has kept Sime~Gen fans in touch with the progress of Those of My Blood and kept me aware of how much they are looking forward to my vampire novel.

Susan M. Garrett, publisher of the Vampire Quarterly, has kept fannish interest in vampires alive and well fed.

Victor Schmidt introduced me to Frank Kurt Cylke, the director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the division of the Library of Congress that records books and which has recorded some of my novels. I have gained great respect for these people and their high professional standards, but from my readers, I have also gained a deep appreciation of the hunger among the users of the national service for total access to my writing as well as to other “Star Trek” and sf publications.

As a result of this, Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer, who at the time edited and published one of the Sime~Gen fanzines, Ambrov Zeor, Marjorie Robbins, Ellie Miller, and a host of other volunteers energized and organized by Karen MacLeod, editor and publisher of Companion in Zeor, (publishing new stories online) have run an auction and book sale to raise money for a pair of the special tape recorders needed, and the Sime~Gen fans started to put all the Sime~Gen fanzines and many other materials on tape before they were made available online. Victor Schmidt, a quality assurance technician for the national recording service, strives mightily to help us achieve the highest possible standards.

As we have struggled with this task, our admiration for Mr. Cylke’s achievements at the National Library Service has grown daily. There is no substitute for the quality product his service turns out, and we can only hope that sighted readers will write their Congressmen urging greater appropriations for the recording program. Of the over eight hundred titles in sf/f published in one year, they could only record seventy-two, a colossal achievement but far short of adequate. Online and e-book availability of text the handicapped can use reading-software to access is changing all that.

In another context, I have to thank my chiropractor, Larry Suchoff. Every writer with a bad back knows what I’m thanking him for.

For contact with any of the above-mentioned individuals, with Sime~Gen fandom, or its publications, or for current status and availability on Sime~Gen or any of my other novels, see

www.simegen.com/jl/

or email jl@simegen.com

or simegen@simegen.com

In conclusion, I must thank Russell Galen who deserves an Award of Valor and the Grankite Order of Tactics Class of Excellence for the heroic efforts he put forth on behalf of this book.

Stuart Moore, my editor at St. Martin’s Press who had the courage to make a leap of faith, has given me the courage to do what had to be done with this book.

Glenn Yeffeth who recognized the connection between Those of My Blood, Dreamspy, and Sime~Gen and is giving these books their first trade paperback editions.

And now I come to the foundation of all the efforts alluded to above. My husband, Salomon, does what husbands do and it works. Who’d dare to ask for more?